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Ahead of the July 12 local government elections, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (retd.), the chairman of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), has explained why the commission did not attend the Labour Party’s (LP) primaries.

At a stakeholders’ forum on Thursday in Ikeja with the theme “Enhancing a Credible and Inclusive Local Government Elections in Lagos,” Okikiolu-Ighile disclosed that three opposing factions within the Lagos branch of the Labour Party each asserted legitimacy and received separate invitations from LASIEC to oversee their own primaries.

Because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had not provided official guidelines on which faction to recognize, she said, the commission decided not to participate.

“We just go there to observe the primaries. We were at ACME last week Saturday during the chairmanship primaries, and all our electoral officers were in different wards,” she explained.

“Today (Thursday), Labour Party invited us, but unfortunately, due to the factions, we could not attend. On our records, we have three different names from different factions, and because of that, we had to forward a letter to INEC for counsel.

“So, without that, we are not attending. We have intimated every faction of the Labour Party in question about our stance, and I am sure they will resolve it.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), whose primaries are set for Saturday, are among the major groups with which LASIEC has continued to interact in the run-up to the polls, she said.

Regarding aspirant administrative fees, Okikiolu-Ighile clarified that LASIEC had taken a thoughtful stance, establishing the fees at N150,000 for candidates seeking chairmanship, N75,000 for those seeking vice-chairmanship, and N50,000 for those seeking councillorship. In order to promote more involvement, she added, exemptions have been given to women, young people, and people with disabilities (PWDs).

Stakeholders, traditional leaders, and market leaders attended the forum, which aimed to create a more credible and inclusive local election process. In order to combat voter indifference and lessen election-related violence, participants underlined the necessity of cooperation.

In his keynote speech, Mr. Fola Adeyemi, a former permanent secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, emphasized the significance of institutional autonomy and election integrity.

Additionally, Adeyemi demanded a more effective LASIEC, stating, “LASIEC must be autonomous; there should be no interference. There must be continuous sensitization and education of the voting public, provision of adequate security to ensure the process is seamless, and information technology must be improved and well integrated.”

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